The present invention relates, in general, to slackless type drawbar assemblies which are used in the railway industry to couple together the adjacently disposed ends of a pair of railway type freight cars in a substantially semi-permanent fashion and, more particularly, this invention relates to slackless type drawbar assemblies using a ball and race assembly and still, more particularly, the present invention relates to slackless type drawbar assemblies using an improved ball and race assembly which requires less maintenance, results in lower L/V ratios and allows for an overall reduction in weight of the drawbar assembly.
Slackless type drawbar assemblies have been well known in the railroad industry for several years as a means to connect together the adjacently disposed ends of a pair of railway freight cars in a substantially semi-permanent fashion, prior to the development of the present invention.
In other words, these railway freight cars do not require frequent separation during service. Normally they will only be separated during a required repair and/or routine maintenance being performed on one or more of them.
These particular railway cars are normally of the type used in what is most commonly referred to, in the railroad industry, as dedicated service. Railway freight cars of such dedicated service type will at least include: those cars which are normally utilized to haul coal, coke, and/or various other types of raw minerals; automotive type transport carriers; cars which are utilized in the transporting of various types of building materials and tank cars which are used to transport various types of liquid products.
Examples of some other raw minerals transported in these dedicated service railway freight cars include: various ores, cement and stone. The various types of liquids transported by such dedicated service railway tank cars will at least include a number of different chemicals. Building materials transported in this manner include: lumber, dry wall, plywood, paneling, etc.
A typical slackless type drawbar assembly using a ball and race connection assembly comprises the following elements: a car connection member engageable with a railway vehicle, a spherical member securable with the car connection member, a male connection member having a curved butt end and an aperture which is disposed around the spherical member secured with the car connection member, a race assembly secured within the aperture of the male connection member and disposed between the spherical member and such aperture, and a drawbar connected to such male connection member.
The outer surface of the spherical shaped member, or ball member, has a sufficiently smooth surface. Currently used ball member surfaces can be electroless nickel plated, chrome plated, or the like to improve the corrosion resistance of the ball member. The race assembly of such currently used slackless type drawbar assemblies, comprises a metal member having a machined surface. This race assembly is secured within the aperture of the male connection member and surrounds a portion of the ball member so that the ball can rotate within the race assembly and aperture and the adjacently disposed freight cars can obtain the requisite amount of angling movements and readily maneuver with respect to each other during their operation on a track structure.
In order to ensure unrestricted movement of the ball member within the race member, care must be taken to ensure that the contacting surfaces are machined to a requisite smoothness. Additionally, adequate lubrication must be provided between the ball member surface and the inner surface of the race member. Any well known techniques of applying lubricating materials between rotating surfaces may be used. One known technique for obtaining this lubrication is to provide a substantially solid type lubricating liner member, such as manufactured by Kahr Bearing Co. and marketed by them under the trade name xe2x80x9cKARLONxe2x80x9d, disposed between the outer surface of the spherical shaped member, or ball member, and the inner surface of the race assembly.
Although many lubricating techniques are well known in the art, it is still difficult to maintain a reduced amount of friction between rotating metal to metal surfaces. Additionally, machining of both the ball member and the race member to sufficient smoothness and continuously providing adequate lubrication between the ball and race surfaces can be costly and time consuming.
The railway industry is continuously seeking ways to cut costs whether these cuts be in the cost of materials, labor manufacturing costs, and/or in maintenance costs. Another way to cut costs is to reduce the weight of the freight cars and the components for connecting the cars together. This reduction in weight allows for a reduction in the amount of energy or fuel used to pull the train which ultimately results in higher payloads. Although higher payloads are the ultimate goal of manufacturers, a high level of safety must be maintained.
One way to measure the safety of the railway vehicle is through what is known as an L/V ratio which is the lateral force over the vertical force of the vehicle. An acceptable L/V ratio limit as set by the Mechanical Committee of the Standard Coupler Manufacturers (MCSCM) is 0.82 and the recommended L/V ratio limit is less than or equal to 0.74. As manufacturers reduce the weight of the cars and/or the loads carried by these cars, care must be taken to ensure that the L/V ratio is not exceeded. If the L/V ratio exceeds the acceptable limit, the lateral force on the car(s) during turning can exceed the vertical force of the car""s weight on the wheels thus causing the wheels of the car(s) to lift off of the track and the train to derail.
One of the ways in which an L/V ratio can be reduced is by reducing the amount of friction in the joint between the male and female connection members of the drawbar assemblies.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a ball and race connection assembly for use in joining together adjacently disposed railway vehicles.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a ball and race connection assembly for use in slackless type drawbar assemblies for joining together in a substantially semi-permanent fashion, adjacently disposed end of a pair of railway cars.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a ball and race connection assembly which is substantially maintenance free in that the need for providing lubricating material between the ball member and inner surface of the race assembly is eliminated, thus providing an economically desirable alternative to ball and race assemblies currently in use.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a ball and race connection assembly which requires less material cost to manufacture and eliminates the time consuming task of machining two separate surfaces, particularly the ball surface and the inner race surface, to a sufficient smoothness to ensure adequate rotation of the ball within the race member so that the adjacently disposed railway cars can readily maneuver with respect to each other during operation.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a ball and race connection assembly which has a reduced weight so that the energy or fuel required to pull the train is reduced, ultimately resulting in a greater payload.
It is still yet a further object of the present invention to provide a ball and race connection assembly which has a high degree of conformity between the race surface and the ball surface, has a reduced maintenance cost, is self-lubricating, corrosion resistant, and will not seize or gall onto the ball member under extreme wear conditions.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a slackless type drawbar assembly using a ball and race connection assembly which reduces the amount of friction between the ball and race assembly to achieve lower L/V ratios for increased safety of the railway vehicle. This reduced amount of friction also allows for a reduction in the amount of wheel flange and rail wear which, in turn, reduces the chances for derailment. Furthermore, a reduction in the amount of friction applied against the wheel flange and rail wheel reduces the amount of energy applied thereto, ultimately reducing the amount of fuel required to pull the railway vehicle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a ball and race connection assembly which may be retrofitted into currently used drawbar assemblies in order to obtain any and/or all of the advantages, as enumerated above, in an economical manner.
Briefly, and in accordance with the forgoing objects, the invention comprises a slackless type drawbar assembly using a ball and race connection assembly for connecting together, in a substantially semi-permanent fashion, adjacently disposed ends of a pair of railway cars. The slackless type drawbar assembly includes a car connection member engageable in one end of a center sill portion which is secured to a bottom portion of a car body member of a first railway car. A pair of shaft or lug members are provided which are engageable with the car connection member. A spherical shaped member or ball is securable with this pair of shaft members such as by a pair of horizontally disposed extension members extending outwardly from axially opposed outer surfaces of the spherical shaped member.
A male connection member having a first end and a second end is provided. An aperture is formed through a predetermined portion of the male connection member adjacent the first end thereof. This aperture is capable of being disposed around at least a portion of the spherical member or ball. Means are attached to the second end of the male connection member which are capable of connecting the male connection member with an adjacently disposed end of a second railway car.
A race assembly having an inner and outer surface is provided. The race assembly is secured along its outer surface within the aperture of the male connection member. The inner surface of the race assembly is disposed around at least a portion of the spherical member or ball such that the spherical member or ball can rotate within this race assembly while maintaining a connection between the male connection member and the car connection member. This race member is formed from a polymeric or composite material such as from a resin impregnated filament wound material which is wound on a sleeve of polymeric material and cured. Means are attached to the second end of the male connection member which are capable of connecting together an end of said first railway car with an adjacently disposed end of a second railway car. This means could include a drawbar arrangement having a second male/female, ball and race connection assembly similar to the one described above.
The use of a polymeric or composite race assembly of the invention has significant advantages over currently used metal race members in the area of materials cost, corrosion resistance, manufacturing labor, maintenance costs, weight, energy consumption, and reduced friction in the ball/race joint, resulting in lower L/V ratios.
Although a number of specific objects and advantages of the present invention have been described in some detail above, various other objects and advantages of the slackless type drawbar assembly incorporating a ball and race connection assembly of the invention will become much more readily apparent to those persons who are skilled in the railway car coupling art from the following more detailed description of the invention, particularly, when such description is taken in conjunction with both the attached drawing Figures and with the appended claims.